[Cisco Kid]

If the Polar Vortex that just now receded, decides to make a regular visits from now on you ain't seen busy yet.
The last time was over 20 years ago.

[The Buckeyes]

We came at the end of January last year for a lifestyle visit and fell in love with the place. On the 5th day we signed on the ***ted line to have a home built. We ate out every day and I didn't consider the wait that long. The only problem I had was dealing with the crowds at publix at colony. No flaming here but, if you think you are dealing with crowds here....I suggest you never take a vacation in July at Myrtle Beach!

[marlinguy]

After careful consideration and deliberation for a response requesting an honest answer which encompasses all of the original poster's issues and a lot more, those that other's have felt compelled to enumerate for us in the past and for the future, I think of those poignant words once spoken by good ol' whats-his-name,,,,"So What, Who Cares' Whatever".

[Golfingnut]

We lived in the suburbs of and worked in Wash D.C. for many years. Trust me the snow birds are no problem at all.

[Happydaz]

"New York City is too crowded and noisy, I hated visiting there."

"New York City is a great place to visit. The cultural opportunities are outstanding and it is alive with human activity."

"The far north, rural countryside is so beautiful and peaceful. I love to watch the snow fall and sift through the trees on a winter day."

"You have got to be kidding! I can't stand winter and let's face it rural areas are so boring and devoid of cultural opportunities."

To each his own. Do what you wish. Your view is your view. Reality is what you perceive it to be.

[JourneyOfLife]

IMO, Snowbirds are just on extended vacations during retirement.

My experience has been that, popular travel destinations are crowded during peak season.

No one that I know likes it... they just tolerate it and adjust.

If Florida is the destination, it is a big state with many options available. Many people have different goals and preferences when it comes to travel. They should be able to find a place that strikes the right balance for them.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by rubicon

It is simple The Villages is over-grown and while it is worse for Jan, Feb, Mar it hs also become crowded for the remainder of the year.

Full time residents do adjust because they are forced to.

I find it perplexing that people who praise The Villages Lifestyle in one breath say in the next that they go off campus in order to eat, golf, etc. Am I the only one who sees this as an oxymoron? And yes I understand some folks go off campus for many other reasons than over crowding

Now I am ready for those villages self appointed protectors to tell me if I don't like it then move. Geezzzzzz I now say my mea culpa's

Sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree. I don't see us as being crowded all year long. From my point of view, I see us as being what a lot of people here call "very crowded" for about three months. And I put that in quotes because it seems that people here who talk about the big crowds have never lived in big cities. They think that we have big traffic problems. Try driving in Manhattan or Boston or Manila. what we have is very moderate traffic at it's heaviest.

About three months of the year, it is moderately crowded and for about six months, it is dead.

If you don't believe that, go and talk to some of the part time employees in the stores or waiters and waitress in the restaurants and ask them what happens to their hours and income in the summer months.

From April through November, I drive by and awful lot of golf courses with no one playing on them.

I don't know how anyone can say that this place is over crowded from April through November.

We very seldom go off campus for anything that is available in the Villages. I do know people that go off campus to play golf in the winter, because the rates at the country clubs in the Villages are higher than just outside. But almost every restaurant that we like is included in the Villages and we visit them in the winter as well as the summer.

I think that most people live here because there is so much to do. The reason that there is so much to do is because there are so many people. We are a community of over 100,000 people. If you didn't understand that before you came here, I don't know what to tell you. If people want to live in isolated areas where it is a forty minute drive to everything, they should chose to live in Summerfield or Weirsdale or Ocklawaha. If you dan't want to be in a vibrant thriving community then the Villages is not the place for you.

Please don't take that to mean, if you don't like it, then get out. But I think that with everything, there is a trade off. If you like the convenience of shopping within minutes of your house, multiple of recreation centers and pools, hundreds of clubs and lots of people to do things with, you have to accept that you're going to have to wait in line for some things some time. But really only a few months a year.